Retractable launching shoes



Dec. 24, 1963 G. E. MOUL, JR

RETRACTABLE LAUNCHING SHOES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1961 EORGE E. MOUL Jr.

IN VENTOR ATTORNEYS G. E. MOUL, JR

RETRACTABLE LAUNCHING SHOES a I w m 2 I 6 hr: k m ab Q M a m 6 w, v J \l v m F 8 if! 3 .n a G 4 m H v u w Filed June 14. 1961 Dec. 24, 1963 FIG. 3.

GEORGE E. MOUL Jr.

INVENTOR w a? l ATTORNEYS 3,1lfi5fi Patented Dec. 24, 1963 3,1153%)? RETRACTABLE LAEUN RING HES George E. Mont, .Ir., Washington, I10, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the ecretary of the Navy Filed June 14, 196 Ser. No. 117,245 5 (Ilairns. (Cl. $9-L7) This invention relates generally to missile supports; more particularly, it relates to retractable launching shoes for supporting an aerial missile on a launcher.

Aerial missiles are commonly stowed on shipboard in magazines from which they are transported to a missile launcher. The missiles are supported in the magazines and on the launcher by outwardly projecting shoes attached to the missile bodies and engageable with fixed rails. During flight, the projecting shoes produce an undesirable aerodynamic drag which adversely affects missile speed, range and control. In order to reduce the effect of this drag it has been necessary to provide duplicate shoes diametrically opposite the launching shoes for purposes of symmetry.

It has been suggested that a missile handling system be designed which would not require launching shoes. It has also been proposed to use recessed shoes or shoes that would drop off the missile during flight. While these suggestions may be feasible, their utilization would necessitate costly redesign of present missile handling equipment and thus would be impractical.

A desirable launching shoe design should be such that it could be used with existing equipment or require only slight modification thereof. The shoes must lie within the aerodynamic boundary layer flow during flight of the missile and must have sufficient strength to withstand the loads thereon during support and launching. With no appreciable aerodynamic drag there would be no need for duplicate shoes for symmetry.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide launching shoes which will support a missile before launching but will not produce excessive aerodynamic drag during flight.

Another object of the invention is to provide retractable launching shoes which can be used with existing missile handling equipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide retractable launching shoes that are economical, light in weight, and simple in construction.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide retractable launching shoes which are automatically retracted upon launching of the missile.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a detail section, taken transversely of a missile, showing the retractable launching shoes engaged with launcher rails;

FIG. 2 is a detail perspective of a missile showing the retractable launching shoes just prior to engagement thereof with launcher rails;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3- of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detail section similar to FIG. 1 but showing a modification of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the modified launching shoe arrangement of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the launching shoe stop means of the modified launching shoe arrangement. shown in inoperative condition.

Generally, the present invention comprises a pair of pivotally mounted launching shoes spring-urged toward retracted position. In one embodiment, cams mounted on the launcher raise the shoes into engagement with the launcher rails, and upon disengagement therefrom, said shoes are automatically retracted by the spring. In another embodiment, the shoes are held in raised position by a stop, thereby preventing the spring from retracting said shoes. The stop is mounted on the end of a piston which extends into the combustion chamber of the rocket and which is actuated upon ignition of the rocket motor to move the stop out of contact with the shoes, permitting them to be retracted.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, a missile body is indicated generally at It and includes an outer casing 12 and an end cap 14' separating the forward end of the missile from the combustion chamber of the rocket motor. The end cap 14 has a forwardly extending sleeve 16 fitted tightly within the casing 12. The casing 12 is provided with two identical pairs of parallel transversely extending slots 13 and 19, lying in the same transverse plane and disposed on opposite sides of and equidistant from a vertical plane through the longitudinal axis of the missile. The portion of the sleeve 16 directly beneath the forward slots 18 is cut away, and the sleeve portion directly beneath the aft slots 19 is provided with slots 29 identical in size and shape with the slots 19. The slots 18, 19, and 2t have arcuate opposite end walls for engaging the shoes to limit their movement toward raised position.

The missile It} is provided with two identical launching shoes 22, each comprising an elongated body 24 having a flange 26 extending the entire length thereof on the side most remote from the missile axis. Each shoe body 24 is provided with two parallel legs 28 lying in planes extending transversely of said body and spaced a distance equal to the spacing of the slots 18 and 19. The shoe bodies 2 extend outwardly from the missile, whereas the legs 28 extend through the slots is and I9 and are pivotally mounted within the missile. Each leg 28 comprises a flat plate having an arcuate inner end. A circular opening is provided in each leg near the inner end thereof for receiving a pin 36%, the aft end of which is received in a socket 32 formed in the end cap Id. Blocks 34, each having a cylindrical bore for receiving the pin 3% are secured to the sleeve 16 between the cut-away portions thereof and the slots 2%, each block having a length slightly less than the distance between the legs 28 and serving to space said legs and to support the pin 3%". Extending between the inner end portions of the legs 28 of each shoe 22, parallel to the pin 30, is a pin 36. A leaf spring 38, having its opposite ends attached to the pins 36 by loops 4%, urges the inner end portions of the legs 23 toward each other, thus urging the shoes to their retracted positions, as shown by the broken lines in FIG. 1.

As best shown in FIG. 1, the outer margins of the undersurfaces of the flanges 25 contact the outer casing 12 when the shoes are retracted to limit the movement of said shoes under the urging of the spring 38. When in this position, portions of the fiat undersurfaces 4-2 of the elongated shoe bodies 24 also contact the outer casing 12 and are substantially tangent thereto. The flat upper surfaces of the flanges 26 and body portions 24 are connected to the opposite side surfaces of the shoes 22 by surfaces 4-6, said surfaces being so angled that they constitute a substantially continuous surface generally conforming to the contour of the casing 12 when the shoes are in retracted position. In this position, the entire shoe structure extending outwardly of the missile body is within the aerodynamic boundary layer flow.

Connecting the opposing sides of the shoe bodies 24 with the arcuate edges of the legs 28 thereof are shoulders 5t, said shoulders being located to lie substantially flush shown.

a with the outer surface of the casing 12 when the shoes are in their upright positions. The shoes are limited in their movement toward each other, against the action of the spring 38, by engagement of the arcuate surfaces of the legs 28 with the arcuate end walls of the slots 18 and 19.

,shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the aft ends of the launcher rails 56 are provided with cam elements 60 for raising the shoes from retracted position into engagement with the rails. Each element 6t? comprises a downwardly inclined finger having an upper cam surface 62 extending from the end of each rail 56 and terminating at a point aligned with one of the flanges 26 of the shoes 22. The fore and aft ends of each flange 26 are beveled to provide cam follower surfaces 6 both ends being beveled so that all the shoes are identical and may be used interchangeably. The vertical rail surface against which the outer side of the shoe flange 58 slides is provided with a beveled surface 66 adjacent the cam element on to further aid in guiding the shoes into engagement with the rails. The lower surface of the luncher support 54 adjacent the rail flanges 58 is provided with grooves 68 to reduce the pressure between the shoes and the support structure. The launcher support 5d is additionally provided with a block 69 having a guide track 70 for receiving a pin 72 connected by a link 74 to an arming shaft 76 passing through the casing 12 to a missile arming device, not The arming shaft and guide track arrangement form no part of the present invention but are illustrated to show that the launching shoes do not interfere with existing missile structures.

'In operation, a missile is moved axially toward the missile launcher with the shoes 22 in retracted position and aligned with the ends of the cam elements 66. Engagement of the beveled surfaces 64 of shoe flanges 26 with the cam surfaces 62 of the cam elements 60 raises the shoes until the flanges thereof engage the rail flanges 53 and are supported thereby. The spring 33, in urging the shoes toward retracted position, holds the shoes in contact with the rails. After the missile is launched and the shoes are no longer in contact with the rails, the spring 33 forces the shoes to their retracted positions, where they will lie within the aerodynamic boundary layer flow and will not create adverse aerodynamic drag.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4-7, a missile 114) is provided with a casing 112, end cap 114, and slots 118, all identical with the structure shown in FIGS, l3. A pair of launching shoes 12%), similar to the shoes of the first embodiment, are pivotally mounted on pins 122, and the inner ends of the legs 123 thereof are biased toward each other by a leaf spring 124. The shoes 12% are held in raised position not by the launcher rails alone as in the first embodiment, but by a stop 126, comprising an elongated body extending parallel to the missile axis and positioned between opposite legs of the shoes 1263. Flat vertical surfaces 128 are formed on each side of the stop 120 parallel to the missile axis at both the forward and aft ends, the distance therebetween being equal to the distance between the legs 123 of each launching shoe 120. As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, flat surfaces 132 are formed on the sides of the legs 123 facing the stop 1% so that they are vertically positioned and engaged with surfaces 128 when the shoes are in fully raised position. An upper horizontal surface 134 connects the upper ends of the vertical stop surfaces 128, and a lower horizontal surface 136 is connected to the lower ends of the stop surfaces by sloping surfaces 138. The elongated body of stop 126 is recessed on opposite sides to form sloping surfaces 1413 extending between stop surfaces 123 and connesting the surfaces 13% with the upper horizontal surface 134. The surfaces 14% intersect the upper surface 134 such that a narrow horizontal strip joins the upper surfaces of the ends of the elongated body. This recessed portion allows the free ends of the launching shoe legs 123 to move past the elongated stop body under the action of V the spring 124 when the legs are not aligned with the vertical stop surfaces 128.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the aft end of the stop 126 is connected to a piston 142 slidably mounted in a sleeve 144 secured in the end cap 114. When the stop 126 is in operative position holding the launching shoes in raised position, the aft end of the piston 142 extends a short distance into the rocket combustion chamber. A frusto-conical head 1% is formed on the aft end of the piston 142 and an O-ring seal 148 is provided on the portion of the piston body disposed within the sleeve 144. Extending through the narrow upper horizontal surface of the stop body is a slot 150 to permit passage of an arming shaft 152 therethrough.

In operation, the launching shoes are held in raised position by engagement of the stop surfaces 128 with the surfaces 132 on the shoe legs 123. The missile is moved axially toward the launcher to engage the raised shoes with the launcher rails. Since it is not necessary to cam the shoes into raised position, the shoe flanges are not provided with beveled portions as in the first described embodiment. Upon firing of the missile, the pressure inside the rocket combustion chamber is greatly increased, and the force exerted by this pressure on the piston 142. is sulflcient to move it forward to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 6. The O-ring seal 148 and the additional seal provided by the frusto-conical head 146 effectively prevent entry into the missile of gases from the combustion chamber.

Forward movement of the piston 142 moves the stop surfaces 128 out of engagement with the surfaces 132 on legs 123 to the position shown in FIG. 7 to allow the spring 124 to retract the shoes 120. The recesses formed by the sloped surfaces provide clearance for the innermost ends of the legs 123 as the shoes are pivoted about the pins 122. Longitudinal movement of the stop 126 without interfering with the arming shaft 152 is permitted by the elongated slot 15%.

Obviously, many other modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It should therefore be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with an aerial missile having an outer casing formed with transversely extending slots, and a launcher support including spaced rails, opposed flanges on the rails, a pair of launching shoes pivotally mounted at their lower ends within said missile about axes lying on opposite sides of and parallel to a radial plane passing through the longitudinal axis of said missile, said shoes lying in a common transverse plane and each having a body disposed longitudinally and outwardly of said missile and a pair of legs extending through the slots, shoe flanges on the outer ends of said bodies and directed toward said opposed flanges, and resilient means within said missile and interconnecting said shoes at the inner ends of the legs thereof for urging them about their pivotal axes in a direction to maintain engagement of said shoe flanges with said opposed flanges, whereby upon disengagement of said shoe flanges from said opposed flanges, said bodies will be urged into contact with said missile.

2. A support for supporting an aerial missile on a launcher as recited in claim 1, including additionally longitudinally movable'stop means disposed between and arranged to engage with said shoes within said missile for preventing movement of said shoes away from rail engaglng positions.

3. A support for supporting a missile on a launcher as recited in claim 2, including additionally means responof the casing and lying in a common plane transversely of the axis of flight of the missile, each said shoe having a retracted position and a launcher mounted position and having a body and a leg,

said bodies being disposed exteriorly of the casing and each having its leg extending through a transversely extending slot,

means for pivotally mounting each of said legs about axes parallel to the axis of flight, and

means in the casing and connected to the respective legs of said pair of shoes for urging said shoes away from each other into said retracted position.

5. The combination recited in claim 4,

wherein said last-mentioned means comprises a bowed leaf spring having opposite end portions connected to inner end portions of the legs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Grill et a1 Mar. 13, 1951 Baughrnan Jan. 29, 1957 Schiavi Mar. 18, 1958 Caya Sept. 23, 1958 Murphy Dec. 22, 1959 Carlberg Apr. 11, 1961 Holtz Ian. 23, 196 2 Hawley et al Nov. 13, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS France Oct. 12, 1959 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH AN AERIAL MISSILE HAVING AN OUTER CASING FORMED WITH TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING SLOTS, AND A LAUNCHER SUPPORT INCLUDING SPACED RAILS, OPPOSED FLANGES ON THE RAILS, A PAIR OF LAUNCHING SHOES PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT THEIR LOWER ENDS WITHIN SAID MISSILE ABOUT AXES LYING ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF AND PARALLEL TO A RADIAL PLANE PASSING THROUGH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID MISSILE, SAID SHOES LYING IN A COMMON TRANSVERSE PLANE AND EACH HAVING A BODY DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY AND OUTWARDLY OF SAID MISSILE AND A PAIR OF LEGS EXTENDING THROUGH THE SLOTS, SHOE FLANGES ON THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID BODIES AND DIRECTED TOWARD SAID OPPOSED FLANGES, AND RESILIENT MEANS WITHIN SAID MISSILE AND INTERCONNECTING SAID SHOES AT THE INNER ENDS OF THE LEGS THEREOF FOR URGING THEM ABOUT THEIR PIVOTAL AXES IN A DIRECTION TO MAINTAIN ENGAGEMENT OF SAID SHOE FLANGES WITH SAID OPPOSED FLANGES, WHEREBY UPON DISENGAGEMENT 